recessive

1 of 2

adjective

re·​ces·​sive ri-ˈse-siv 

1

a

: tending to recede

b

: withdrawn sense 2

2

a

: producing little or no phenotypic effect when occurring in heterozygous condition with a contrasting allele

recessive genes

b

: expressed only when the determining gene is in the homozygous condition

recessive traits

a recessive disease

recessively adverb

recessiveness noun

recessive

2 of 2

noun

1

: an organism possessing one or more recessive characters

2

: a recessive character or gene

Synonyms

Adjective

• backward
• bashful
• coy
• demure
• diffident
• introverted
• modest
• retiring
• self-effacing
• sheepish
• shy
• withdrawn

Examples of recessive in a Sentence

Adjective

a recessive genius who was most comfortable working alone in his chemistry lab

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

But is anyone else discussing the prevalence of recessive traits in a prestige TV series? —Holly J. Morris, NPR, 14 June 2024

But McCarthy's meeting with Sheedy, who played the recessive Allison in The Breakfast Club, is the best of all. —Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 13 June 2024

Noun

The big, accessible Now dominates a recessive, endangered Then. —Holland Cotter, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024

Apart from her, the non-popular kids seemed mostly bland and recessive. —Mary Gaitskill, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1654, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

recessive

1 of 2 adjective

re·​ces·​sive ri-ˈses-iv 

1

: tending to go back

2

: producing a bodily characteristic (as eye color) when homozygous and not masked by a copy of the gene that is dominant

recessive genes

also : exhibited by the body only when the determining gene is homozygous

blue eye color is a recessive trait

recessively adverb

recessiveness noun

recessive

2 of 2 noun

1

: a recessive characteristic or gene

2

: an individual that has one or more recessive characteristics

Medical Definition

recessive

1 of 2 adjective

re·​ces·​sive ri-ˈses-iv 

1

: producing little or no phenotypic effect when occurring in heterozygous condition with a contrasting allele

recessive genes

2

: expressed only when the determining gene is in the homozygous condition

recessive traits

recessively adverb

recessiveness noun

recessive

2 of 2 noun

1

: a recessive character or gene

2

: an organism possessing one or more recessive characters